The Wind Waker: The Novelization
by MiniJen
Summary: From a certain island in the Great Sea, a young boy sets sail on the vast ocean in search of his sister but ultimately finds his destiny. To fulfill this destiny, Link will encounter surly pirates, a talking boat, a forgotten kingdom, an evil king and command the winds themselves. A full novelization of The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker.
1. The Legend of the Hero of Time

_**AN-Well folks, here I am with yet another story that I'll probably never finish! (Though I hope that I do!) So a while ago I had planned on novelizing Majora's Mask, but it didn't really turn out, yet I still wanted to write a novelization of a Zelda game. Everyone has already done Ocarina of Time and Twilight Princess, (and I may possibly do Skyward Sword in the future after this is done), so I decided to try my hand at writing the story of a Zelda game that has one of the best stories and some of the best characters in the entire series: The Wind Waker! To me, TWW has such a timeless charm in everything about it and for a long time I've been wanting to write something based around it, so why not my own retelling of the story? I won't take things word for word most of the time and there will be some changes, but that's what makes each novelization different from the next right? So, enough talk! Let's dive right into…**_

**The Legend of Zelda  
The Wind Waker**

"_Link is a regular boy when the game begins, but destiny makes him fight evil and I think many people dream about becoming heroes. For me, it has always been important that the games grow together with Link, that there is a strong relation between the one who holds the controller and the character who is on the screen. I have always tried to create the feeling that you are really in Hyrule. If you don't feel that way, it will lose some of its magic. One of the things that makes the Wind Waker so special is that we wanted to make the graphics clearer and in that way we could show Link's facial expressions. The way Link reacts creates a closer relationship with the player. I strive to create communication and relationships in my games. Both social, with several people gathering in front of the TV to play together and relations between the player and the characters on screen."  
_-Shigeru Miyamoto in a 2003 interview about _The Wind Waker_

**The Novelization**

_Prologue: The Legend of the Hero of Time_

"_History has its truth, and so has legend. Legendary truth is of another nature than historical truth. Legendary truth is invention whose result is reality. Furthermore, history and legend have the same goal: to depict the eternal man beneath momentary man."  
_-Victor Hugo, _Ninety-Three_

Clashes of thunder roared powerfully as tall waves pounded against the shores of the small island. Buckets of rain poured down from the pitch black evening sky, the moon and stars obscured by thick black clouds. Bright flashes of lightning illuminated the tiny village of secure, cozy little wooden houses, their windows lit up with the warm glows of fires burning in their hearths.

Despite the comforting warmth of the bright fire within the westernmost cottage on the island, the little girl who lived within it, who was no more than four years old, whimpered with fear at the storm raging outside the window as she sat in the far corner of the room. As a particularly loud boom of thunder sounded from the heavens, the girl shrieked in fear and cried out, clutching her most treasured possession, a telescope, close to her heart.

"B-big brother!" the girl cried to her eight year old brother, who was sitting before the fireplace playing.

Immediately upon hearing his sister's frightened calls, the boy dropped his toys and ran over to her attentively, like any good older brother would. "What's wrong?" he asked with concern.

The girl pouted and pointed to the window. "The storm!" she sobbed. "It's so scary!"

The boy smiled warmly and understandingly. "But sis," he said taking a seat on the floor beside her. "This happens every storm season! You shouldn't be afraid of it!"

The little girl sniffled, but smiled at her brother's comforting words nonetheless. "Thanks big brother!" she chirped, giving her brother a hug. "When I'm bigger, I want to be brave just like you are!"

The boy simply blushed and chuckled at the complement of his adoring little sister. At that moment, an elderly woman descended the ladder that connected the first floor of the home and its upper loft. "What's all the commotion?" she asked kindly, giving a smile to the two children sitting in the corner of the room.

"Grandma!" the little girl's face brightened as she ran towards the woman. "I'm gonna grow up to be brave!" she proclaimed firmly, though her grin spread from ear to ear.

"Oh are you now?" the elderly woman said warmly as she gave a knowing glance to the boy. "You mean like the Hero of Time?"

At this, the boy rose to his feet with excitement. "Oh Grandma!" he exclaimed, following the woman to her comfy chair near the fireplace. "Will you read the story for us!? Please?"

The old woman laughed kindheartedly at her grandson's pleading expression. "But of course, my dear," she said, motioning towards the small bookshelf nearby as she took a seat. "Will you get the book for me?"

The boy nodded enthusiastically and rushed for the shelf. He didn't even have to look for the book, as its spine was the oldest and most worn of the collection. The boy quickly drew the almost ancient tome from the shelf and hurried over to his grandmother as his sister took a seat at her feet, gathering warmth from the nearby fire. Handing the book to the old woman, the boy plopped down beside his sister and looked to his grandmother with wide, excited eyes.

The elderly woman took out her reading glasses and positioned them on her nose, taking the book in both hands before opening it. It was a medium-sized book, crafted of worn, yet sturdy and enduring brown leather. Its front cover bore only its title, printed in fancy golden lettering: "The Legend of the Hero of Time".

The book opened up to the first crinkled brown page with a small _creak_, signifying its old age. As the old woman cleared her throat in preparation, the boy leaned over to his sister and whispered: "This story's my favorite!" His sister, sensing her brother's elation, followed suit and grew equally as interested, leaning in to listen as the old woman began the ancient tale.

"This is but one of the legends of which the people speak…" Even upon those first few words, the children were already engrossed in the story.

"Long ago, there existed a kingdom where a golden power lay hidden. It was a prosperous land, blessed with green forests, tall mountains and peace."

The little girl smiled contentedly at this lovely description, but as the boy was already expecting, the woman's tone suddenly became foreboding and ominous. "But one day, a man of great evil found the golden power and took it for himself. With its strength at his command, he spread darkness across the kingdom…"

The girl gasped in fear as the boy leaned forward and bit his lip somewhat nervously. "But then, when all hope had died, and the hour of doom seemed at hand…"

The boy's eyes lit up as he leaned over to whisper to the girl once again. "This is my favorite part!" he exclaimed, totally engrossed in the epic narrative.

"A young boy clothed in green appeared as if from nowhere. Wielding the blade of evil's bane, he sealed away the dark one and gave the land light."

Both children cheered at the hero's triumph as the woman continued the tale with equal verve. "This boy, who traveled through time to save the land, was known as the Hero of Time. The boy's tale was passed down until it became legend."

"Wow…" the boy whispered in awe, wondering what it would be like to be part of a legend like the Hero of Time had been. However, the woman soon took up a foreboding tone once more as the tale carried on.

"But then… a day came when a fell wind began to blow across the kingdom. The great evil that all thought had been forever sealed away by the hero, once again crept forth from the deaths of the earth, eager to resume its dark designs."

The girl gasped in fear and the boy curled his hands into first, suddenly angry at this great evil for undoing all of the hard work of the great Hero of Time.

"The people believed that the Hero of Time would again come to save them…"

"And he did, right Grandma?" the little girl asked hopefully. Both the boy and the old woman frowned sadly.

The woman gave a sad sigh as she continued the story, which answered the girl's question perfectly. "But the hero did not appear…"

"Oh no…" the girl whispered and looked to her older brother for reassurance, but he gave none. Instead, he simply stared at the ground dejectedly, wanting answers that he knew that book wouldn't give him.

"Faced by an onslaught of evil, the people could do nothing but appeal to the gods. In their last hour, as doom drew nigh, they left their future in the hands of fate…"

Both children looked to their grandmother once again, curious to see how the tale would conclude, though both already having a vague idea.

"What became of that kingdom…? None remain who know. The memory of the kingdom vanished, but its legend survived on the wind's breath."

"On a certain island in the Great Sea…"

The boy, suddenly chipper about the story once again, gave his sister a poke. "That's us!" he exclaimed, smiling. "That's our island that it's talking about!"

The little girl took in an excited gasp, wanting to know how their little island home tied into this dramatic tale.

"It became customary to garb boys in green when they came of age. Clothed in the green of the fields, they aspired to find heroic blades and cast down evil. The elders wished only for the youths to know courage, like the hero of legend… The end…"

The old woman shut the book and looked down to her two grandchildren, both silent and enamored with the story they had just heard. She grinned warmly at their wonder and enthusiasm. "I think it's time for bed, you two…"

"But I'm not-" the little girl started to argue, but was interrupted by her own tired yawn. Her grandmother laughed kindly as she began to lead the children towards the ladder that lead up to the loft.

"Come on now," she instructed firmly. "Off to bed. The storm will be gone in the morning dear, so the sooner you go to sleep, the less you'll have to worry about it."

The little girl didn't argue with this, as she wanted to forget about the raging thunder outside as soon as possible, so she climbed into bed. The boy followed suit, but his mind was still on the story that he had just heard.

"Grandma?" he asked the woman as he climbed into his own bed.

"Yes dear?" she called out as she was tucking the little girl in for the night.

"When I'm old enough, will I get green clothes, like the Hero of Time?"

The elderly woman gave a soft chuckle. "Well of course you will."

"And a sword too?"

"Well…" the woman hesitated, mulling the dangers of a sword over in her mind. "Maybe…" she said ambiguously, though the boy wasn't completely satisfied with her answer. "Goodnight to both of you." She gave on last smile as she dimmed the candle-light illuminating the loft and climbed down the ladder.

It took a while for the boy to finally settle down into sleeping, but when he finally did, he dreamed of the tale of the ancient kingdom and of the legend of the courageous Hero of Time.

* * *

_**So, let me know what you think! oh, by the way, this intro takes place approxamently four years before the game actually starts which is why Link is eight and Aryll is four, just so yah don't get confused! After all, I wrote this chapter as a sort of framing device for the game's introduction, so yeah... next time, we dive right into the events of the actual game and I can't wait! I already have a ton of awesome ideas and I hope you'll enjoy them! Until next time!**_


	2. Outset Island

_Chapter 1: Outset Island_

"_Little islands are all large prisons: one cannot look at the sea without wishing for the wings of a swallow."  
_-Richard Burton

The mid morning sun hung bright and cheerfully above the little island as a slight breeze blew in from the vast blue ocean surrounding it. Positioned in towards the south-eastern most corner of the Great Sea, Outset Island was a peaceful little hamlet, tucked away from the harsher, more populated waters to the north. In truth, Outset was really a set of twin isles, both roughly the same size and only about thirty or so feet away from each other, connected by a wooden bridge. Yet both isles were parallel in their lush green beauty and quiet sense of community among their ten or so residents. On the eastern isle, there rested one lone house, a tall watchtower resting beside the short pier and a winding pathway up towards the cliff summit. A rickety weather worn bridge connected the two isles from the cliffs above, and a simple plank path connected them across the water below. The western isle was more populated, containing the other three small houses of the island village and a thick, lush forest resting on the cliff above it, known as the Fairy Woods.

As was the norm of the island on such a present mid-spring day, the citizens of the quaint village were out doing morning chores, basking in the glory of such a bright, warm day. The winter storm season had just ended, and the islanders were certainly glad that they could wander about Outset under the joyous sunshine instead of under grey clouds drenching them with bitter rain.

From the westernmost house on the island, emerged a young girl, about eight or so. The girl stood on the porch of the house smiled as she took in the scent of the ocean breeze, her short blonde pigtails swaying lightly in it. For a moment, her dark blue eyes scanned the lay of the island, but she frowned when she didn't find who she was looking for.

"Big brother!" she called out, her bright voice ringing across the island like a bell. Receiving no response and seeing no signs of her brother, the girl shrugged and ran off the porch, her light blue sundress flittering against the wind and her small, treasured red telescope that she clutched in her right hand dragging in the sand as she ran across the island's beach.

"Big brother!" She called out again, this time even louder than before, catching the attention of a few of the adults that were coming and going along the dirt paths of the village. The adults simply watched as the girl ran towards the eastern side of the island, smiling and shaking their heads good-naturedly. Of course they knew that once again, Aryll was searching for her older brother, Link.

Breathless, Aryll stopped short at the end of the beach and dusted the sand off her telescope. Looking out of its view finder, the girl peered around the island, hoping to get a better view with the enhancement of the tool. She frowned again when she still couldn't catch a sight of Link.

"Where could he be…?" she muttered curiously as she stole a glance towards the watch tower ahead of her. Suddenly, an idea came to her and she grinned, running off in the direction of the tower.

"Big Brother!" Aryll called knowingly as she stood at the top of the watchtower's ladder. Using her telescope, she spied in on her sleeping brother, though he was only a few feet away and she chuckled to herself at the sight of him curled up on the platform, peacefully snoozing away. It was easy to see the family resemblance between Link and Aryll. They both shared the same fair skin, large, dark eyes, and blonde hair, though Link's was more disheveled from napping up on the watch tower. Link and Aryll were four years apart in age; Aryll was eight, short, spritely and feminine as would be expected of a young girl and Link was twelve, of a good height and build for someone his age with boyish, yet sharp facial features.

"I found you!" Aryll giggled as Link started to stir from his slumber. The boy sat up and yawned, rubbing the sleep from his eyes, somewhat upset that he had been woken up by Aryll yet again. If there was one past time that Link loved the most, it was definitely sleeping, which was a point that his sister often teased him over.

"What is it, Aryll?" Link asked tiredly as he turned to look over at the ladder only to find no sight of his sister. Shrugging, the boy stood and stretched, trying to fully wake himself up.

Aryll's giggle sounded from behind him. "I knew I'd find you up here, Link!" she chimed happily as he turned around to face her. "And, I also knew you'd be sleeping!" She laughed yet again. "What I don't know is how you always manage to sleep so long though! It's almost noon!"

Link, still somewhat asleep, didn't respond as Aryll prattled on. "Anyway, Grandma wanted me to come find you…" she said, swaying back and forth with the wind. "You do remember what day it is today, don't you?"

Link shook his head. "No, what?"

An amused expression came across Aryll's face and she suppressed a laugh. "Really?" she smiled. "I bet you're still half asleep then…" She paused for a moment before continuing. "You really forgot?" the girl finally let out her laugh as she exclaimed. "Big brother, today is your birthday!"

"Huh?" Link exclaimed, his eyes widening in realization. "I mean… I knew that! Who forgets their own birthday?"

Aryll laughed once more, seeing through his poor attempt to play his forgetfulness off. "Someone who sleeps all day, that's who," she teased. "But that's why Grandma's been waiting for you to come back to the house for quite awhile now! So it's a good thing I found you up here. I think she said there was something she wanted to give you… Maybe it's a present!"

Link's eyes brightened at the suggestion. "You think so?" he asked, grinning.

"It could be…" his sister chuckled. "You should go home and see what she wants if you really what to find out!"

"Alright," Link nodded, heading for the ladder. "Are you you coming, Aryll?"

Aryll shook her head and pulled out her telescope. "No, I think I'll stay here and play with the gulls for a bit. But when you get whatever it is Grandma wants to give you, come back and show me, OK?"

"Ok," Link said, starting down the ladder. "I'll be back!" As the boy climbed down the ladder he could already see the flock of seagulls starting to congregate around Aryll. Link had always wondered why the birds loved her so much, but then again, anyone who met the sweet girl was bound to immediately take a liking to her, even animals such as seagulls.

As Link headed for his house he was greeted by quite a few birthday greetings from passing islanders but for the most part he was distracted by the panorama of the blue ocean that spread out before him to his right. For as long as he could remember, Link had always had a sort of fascination with the sea, despite the fact that he saw it every day. There was something entrancing about the clear blue waves that lapped up on the sands of the beach. Link had never left Outset Island before and had only ever heard of the many different islands scattered across the Great Sea from the stories of sailors who would occasionally visit the remote island. The tales of adventure and excitement helped to instill a sense of longing in the boy, making him want to venture out onto the vast open seas and see it all for himself.

But Link knew that his grandmother would never allow it. Link and Aryll's parents had both died from a terrible sickness that had swept across the island years ago, when the two of them were very little; Aryll had been so young that she could not remember them at all and Link could only remember bits and pieces about them. Ever since then, Grandma had dutifully and lovingly cared for both of them, even if she was a bit overprotective at times. When Link was younger, he used to frequently ask her if he could leave the island and go sailing with visiting ships, even if it was only for a day or so trip, but Grandma's answer was always constant: "My dear, you're much too young for that!" she would say, giving him a kind smile and a pat on the head, not really taking his hopeful request seriously. Link had considered asking her again, since he was now finally twelve and, according to Outside Island customs, had officially come of age. But he had a feeling that Grandma would still consider him to be too young to venture out past the shores of Outset and into the wild waves of the Great Sea.

_Maybe one day… _Link thought wistfully as he cast one final glance out to the blue horizon before entering into the house.

The house that Link, Aryll and Grandma lived in was humble, yet comfortable enough for the three of them. It was mostly just one large room, though a ladder separated the main floor from the upper loft, where the family of three slept. The simple furnishings of the house gave it an inviting air, as the sea breeze wafted in from the open window, filling the house with a fresh, clean scent.

"Grandma?" Link called up to the loft once he entered the house and saw that Grandma was not on the first floor.

"Ah, Link!" the elderly woman called out from the upper floor. "I've been waiting! Come on up here! I have something for you that I think you'll like!"

Link grinned with excitement and started to climb up the ladder. At the top, Grandma stood, holding something behind her back, her kind smile stretching from ear to ear. She was a short, aged woman, about the same height as Aryll, which made her shorter than Link. Her grey hair was tied up in a tight bun that rested on the top of her head and her tanned face was worn with wrinkles and smile-lines.

"Close your eyes and hold out your hands…" Grandma said cheerfully. Link did so with anticipation, wondering what kind of birthday present his grandmother could be giving him this year. She placed something soft, almost cloth-like into his open hands and then said: "Open your eyes."

The moment Link did, his face fell in disappointment. Instead of receiving a present like he had expected, Grandma had given him a set of clothing. Green clothing. It was then that Link remembered the coming of age tradition on Outset, which dictated that on a boy's twelfth birthday, he would be required to wear clothing similar to the kind that the legendary Hero of Time once wore for the entire day. There used to be another tradition that a boy would be given a sword along with the clothes, but that died out years ago. After all, Outset was a peaceful place; there wasn't much need for swords there anymore.

"Try them on…" Grandma admonished, looking expectantly at Link.

"Do I have to?" The boy frowned. When he was younger, he used to dream of the day when he would finally be old enough to wear the clothes of the legendary hero. So now that the day had finally come, why wasn't he more excited? Maybe, now that he was older, those stories didn't have the same grandeur that they once had. For whatever reason though, Link wasn't really looking forward to having to wear the green outfit for an entire day.

Grandma raised an eyebrow at him, a look that told him that there was to be no arguing with her. "Don't look so disappointed, dear!" she said. "Today you should be celebrating! After all, today is the day that you become the same age as the young hero in green spoken of in the old legends! Those were always your favorite stories when they where little, weren't they? Besides, you only have to wear them for one day, so it isn't too bad. Be proud, child!" Not wanting to receive any further lecturing from her, Link begrudgingly agreed to try the outfit on.

"How time flies…" the woman mused as Link changed into the green clothes. "I can hardly believe that you're finally old enough to wear those clothes! You know, in the olden days, this would be the day that boys would be considered as men. They were bestowed with swords and trained how to fight to take down their enemies…"

Link wondered what is must have been like, in those exciting days long before his time. When boys were given blades and where allowed to go off in search of adventure, just like the Hero of Time. How exciting it must have been! But times were different now. Outset was a much more cautious and careful island now. It no longer needed blades to keep it safe. It just naturally was.

"But such an age is long over…" Grandma continued her lecture. "We live in peaceful times now. I suppose that old Orca would be the only one left on the entire island who would know a thing about sword play now…

"I'm finished," Link interrupted her tale, still frowning as he adjusted the outfit's brown leather belt.

"Oh!" Grandma smiled with pride as she turned to see him. "They suit you perfectly! You look so nice!"

_No,_ Link thought, trying his best to hide his scowl. _I look ridiculous… _Already, Link knew that the clothes would be too warm for the pleasant Outset spring weather. The outfit consisted of simple white tights and brown leather boots to match the belt fastened around his waist with a round golden buckle. He wore a light green sleeved undershirt with a darker green tunic over top of it. But by far the most annoying feature of the outfit to Link was the long and floppy green cap that he had to wear along with it. The style of the outfit was long past dated; no one had actually worn clothes like this regularly since the ancient days of the Hero of Time. But at least Link would only have to put up with them for one day, so he figured it wasn't too bad. After all, Grandma had worked hard to make these, so he should have at least tried to seem grateful.

"Thanks Grandma…" he said a little hesitantly.

The woman smiled kindly as she gave him a hug. "Cheer up dear," she said. "Tonight I plan on inviting the whole village over for your birthday party! Your grandma is going to make your favorite soup just for you tonight."

Link's eyes lit up as he finally smiled. "Really?" he said, already imagining the festivities to be had. "That sounds great!"

Grandma laughed warmly. "I can tell you're already looking forward to it!" she said. "Now, run along and get your sister so she can come and help me get ready for the party."

"I will!" Link exclaimed already heading for the ladder. "We'll be back in a bit!" Though excited for his party, the boy couldn't help but groan in annoyance though at the thick, restricting fabric of the green outfit. But as he headed out the door he thought of the one bright side: _Its only for one day…_

* * *

**_Wow, this story is already a lot of fun to write! I can't wait for the next chapter, where we're going to meet Tetra for the first time! she's one of my absolute favorite Zelda characters ever and one of the main reasons why i wanted to write this! so, until next time!_**


	3. Miss Fearsome Pirate

_Chapter 2: Miss Fearsome Pirate_

"_There is no shortage of well-known pirates, including: Henry Morgan, Captain Kidd, Blackbeard, Blue beard, Yellowbeard, and Yellow beard with Black Roots, who surmised that, if blondes have more fun, then blond pirates must have a heck of a lot more fun."_  
- Cuthbert Soup, _Another Whole Nother Story_

The moment Link left the house, his theory about the clothes was proven to be correct: it was much too warm outside for the thick green fabric. But nonetheless, he headed for the watchtower once again, though he could already hear Aryll's teasing about the clothes.

A flock of seagulls still flittered around the top of the watchtower, signifying Aryll's presence there. But as Link climbed up the ladder to the tower once more, the birds screeched in protest and all flew away collectively, trusting no one but Aryll.

"'Hoy big brother!" Aryll called, turning to him. But when she saw his clothes, she did her best to suppress a giggle. "Did Grandma make those clothes for you? They look a little warm for this weather, don't you think?"

Link frowned and crossed him arms. "I know…" he muttered, though he appreciated the fact that Aryll didn't outright laugh at him.

"Oh!" she exclaimed, remembering something. "I almost forgot! I still have to give you my present! Close your eyes and hold out your hand…"

Link did so, though he couldn't help thinking that if Aryll's gift was more clothes, then he'd probably reject them right then and there. But it wasn't; instead, Aryll placed something long, round and metallic into his hands.

"Open them!" the girl exclaimed brightly. "Happy birthday!"

Link gasped in awe when he saw what she had given him: her beloved red telescope, the possession she loved above all else. Aryll had owned the telescope ever since birth; it was perhaps the only thing that their parents had left her with before their deaths and she treasured it dearly.

"Aryll," Link said, handing the telescope back to her. "I can't keep this. You love this telescope more than anything else!"

Aryll simply giggled and pushed it away. "Well of course you can't keep it!" she chirped. "But I will let you borrow it just for today, OK?"

Link smiled and nodded. "Ok."

"So?" Aryll said. "Do you like it? I decided to let you use something so special to me for today because you're my big brother! Aren't you lucky?"

"To have a sister like you?" Link grinned at her as he gave her a hug. "I sure am."

Aryll blushed and giggled once more as her eyes lit up with excitement. "Ooo!" she exclaimed, running over to the edge of the watchtower. "You should try it out right now! Try looking over at our house! I think I see the postman there now!"

Link joined her at the edge of the platform and used the view finder to look out at the postman, who was delivering letters to the postbox in front of the house as he did every day. Outset's postman, Quill was of the Rito tribe, who mostly lived on the distant Dragon Roost Island to the north. They were often called the "messengers of the Great Sea", due to their role as mail carriers to various islands. Most wouldn't be able to accomplish traveling across the vast sea in short periods of time, but the Rito had a distinct advantage: wings. Though otherwise human-like in appearance, the Rito had long beaks and taloned feet, along with long, feathered wings, which allowed for quick and easy flying. Quill himself had all of the common characteristics of his tribe, along with a tall, firm stature and a stern and diligent face. On more than one occasion, Link and Aryll had caught the friendly postman to chat for a bit, and he would kindly answer any of their curious questions about his mysterious people and their far off island.

As the two children were observing the postman however, he suddenly looked up and began to panic for some reason, fluttering his long wings about and shouting something that neither of them could hear.

Aryll's frightened scream is what tore Link away from the sight of the distraught Rito. "Link!" she cried. "Quick! Look up at the sky!"

"What?!" Link asked, using the telescope to glance up in the direction that Aryll had indicated. The boy gasped at what he saw: an enormous bird, larger than any he had ever seen before. Its body was a dark shade of violet and its long wings were tipped with white, purple and grey feathers. Its piercing yellow eyes shone out from what looked like a strange metal mask and its huge orange beak looked like it could swallow a person whole. Long plumes of green and yellow feathers trailed behind it as it flapped through the skies and Link could just barely make out a speck of yellow that the monstrosity of a bird seemed to be gripping in its giant talons.

Suddenly, a thunderous _boom! _sounded from close by. Something round whizzed past the bird, which it easily dodged. "Look!" Aryll shouted, pointing towards the sea. There, speeding after the bird in hot pursuit, was a large, grand ship, its white sails fluttering in the wind. A black flag marked with a skull and crossbones flew high atop its mast, identifying the vessel as a pirate ship. A few more failed cannon balls launched from the ship's catapult towards the bird, causing Link to wonder why the pirates were chasing it in the first place. It was then that he finally spotted the figure of a person that the bird grasped in its claws.

After a dodging more cannon balls, the bird made the mistake of glancing back to see if the ship was still perusing it. In that moment, one of their shots hit the creature square in the jaw, causing it to screech shrilly and drop its prey as it tried to recover from the hit. Link and Aryll watched with awe as the person that had been caught up in the bird's talons slowly plummeted towards the island. Though he only got a momentary glance at the person, Link was able to make out that it was a girl, though just barely because of her tied up blonde hair. She seemed to be about his age too, with tanned skin, a blue shirt and short-sleeved jacket, and white pants. The girl was unconscious as she fell headfirst into the thick Fairy Woods that lay on the cliff of Outset's western isle.

Finally putting the telescope down, Link and Aryll gaped at each other for a moment, not believing the scene that they had just witnessed. Nothing like this had ever happened on the island in their lifetime before. Up until now, Outset Island had been a perfectly peaceful place, free from invading birds, and pirates alike.

Aryll spoke first, her stunned fear clearly showing in her tone. "Oh Link!" she cried. "This is terrible! That poor girl just fell into the forest! She needs help!"

Seeing Aryll's frantic panic alone was enough to make Link want to help the girl out, but he knew she was right. The girl could have very easily gotten injured in the fall, and even if she wasn't, then there were still many dangers rumored to be found in the Fairy Woods. For a number of years now, the woods had been closed off, ever since monsters had been sighted there. Link didn't know who this girl was, but he couldn't just leave her there to fend for herself.

"We should do something!" Aryll proclaimed, drawing him out of his thoughts. "But what?"

"I'm not sure…" Link said, looking out across the island for solutions. They could always tell Grandma, but what would the frail old woman be able to do? And everyone else on the island was much too afraid to even get close to the woods. At that moment however, Link glanced over at old man Orca's house and remembered something that Grandma had said earlier: "_I suppose that old Orca would be the only one left on the entire island who knows a thing about swordplay now…" _

"Wait," Link said, heading for the ladder. "I have an idea."

"Really?" Aryll began to trail after him. "What?"

He ignored her question as he began to descend. "Stay here Aryll," he said firmly.

"But big brother!" she began to protest.

"Stay here," he repeated even more sternly and this time Aryll listened, detecting the seriousness in his tone.

Link wasted no time in heading for Orca's house. The elderly man lived in the bottom floor of a house that he shared with his brother, Sturgeon. Though they were brothers, the two were exact opposites: Sturgeon was a scholar and Orca was a fighter, perhaps the only one left on Outset. Link respected Orca, as did most of the other children on Outset: he was an excitable old man with experience and world wisdom, and had many fascinating stories to tell. But aside from that, Orca was adept with quite a few weapons, including the sword, all skills that he had acquired in the days of his youth. If anyone would be able to help the girl who had fallen into the woods, it would be Orca.

Upon arriving at Orca's house, Link knocked on the door. "Orca?" he called, hoping that the old man was home and not out fishing on his little canoe as he often did on such a nice day.

"Who's there?" a gruff, commanding voice called from inside.

"Its Link," the boy said, letting his urgency show.

No more than a second later, the door swung open, revealing Orca behind it. Though he was advanced in age, Orca was still in good shape, as his tanned, bare chest clearly showed. His long grey hair was thinning on his scalp, but it was a nice compliment to his thick bead and mustache. His trained eyes were fierce and focused, more so than many others younger than him. In his hands he held his trademark, harpoon-like spear, his weapon of choice in his older age.

"Link, my boy!" the man greeted, inviting him inside. "Ah, I see that you're wearing the proud green of the hero today! Rightly so! It's an honor that all young men get to experience, though in my day, we were given swords as well…"

"Orca-" Link tried to begin, but was cut off before he could explain the situation about the girl.

"Hold on a moment…" Orca said, leaning in to examine the boy's face. "You have an urgent look about you son… Has something happened?"

Link nodded and proceeded to explain the story about the bird, the pirates and the girl. "Ah…" Orca mused when he was finished. "A grave tale, to be sure…"

"So can you help her?" Link asked eagerly.

Orca's serious expression did not change. "I'm much too old to go up into those woods, my boy…" he said, fingering his long beard. "But that does not prevent me from assisting you. Come," he motioned for Link to follow as he walked to the far end of the room, to a wall where various weapons hung. After a moment of thought, the old man carefully took a simple sword from the wall and turned back to Link.

"Since the olden days, this sword has been used to fend off evil," Orca explained. "Its blade is infused with the desire to become strong and righteous. If the situation you just explained to me is true, then you will have need of this." He handed the blade to the boy, though he hesitated to take it.

"But Orca," Link said, staring at the shining metal of the sharp blade. "I don't even know how to use a sword."

Finally, the old man smiled as he placed the handle of the sword in Link's hands. "Then I shall teach you."

* * *

_Caution! Fairy Woods ahead! Monster danger advisory! Entrance prohibited!_

Link took in a deep breath as he read the sign near the base of the path that lead to Fairy Woods, still trying to adjust to the weight of the sword strapped to his back. Sure enough, Orca had taught him a few quick moves, but Link wasn't entirely sure if they would be of much help inside of the mysterious forest. After all, the boy had very little experience with the blade and if monsters really did hide inside of the woods, there was no guarantee that he'd be able to help himself or the girl.

As Link began to make his way up the path, he began to wonder if it was really was worth it to brave the dangers of the unknown woods for the sake of a girl that he'd never even met before. But Grandma had often told him and Aryll that it was right to help those in need, even if it was troublesome. This was simply how he had been raised. And besides, it wasn't the poor girl's fault that she had been dropped into the woods by a menacing bird.

Once Link reached the top of the eastern cliff, he looked down to the rest of the island below before heading over the rickety wood bridge. From this vantage point, he could see the pirate ship from earlier already approaching the dock of the island. For a moment, Link wondered what the connection between the pirates and the girl was, and whether or not their presence on Outset would be a dangerous thing.

The bridge that connected the two plateaus was old and weather-worn, but still crossable. But Link made sure not to linger on the questionable structure for too long, lest it fall to pieces beneath his feet as a result of being unused for so long. Finally on the other side, the boy gathered up his nerves as he stood before the entrance to the woods and headed on inside.

The Fairy Woods were erriee to say the least. The canopy of green leaves sprouting from the tall trees obscured the view of the clear blue sky, allowing little sunlight to slip through to the uneven forest floor. No birds or other creatures dwelled within these woods however; the only sound to be heard was the rustling of the leaves in the wind. The entire place encompassed an unsettling sense of quiet, like something could have popped out from behind one of the trees at any moment. And it was this strange quiet that instructed Link to keep his guard up as he began to traverse them.

The boy dared not call out to see if the girl could hear him, just in case monsters really did haunt the forest. Instead, Link silently searched the forest, taking care to look all around for a fleck of blue that would signify the girl's presence.

After several minutes of trekking through the woods, Link finally caught sight of her; the girl was hanging on the branch of a nearby tree by the back of her blue jacket, still unconscious. Even though she was a girl, her clothes were something closer to what a boy would wear. Now that Link could see her up close, he noticed more particular details about her, such as her golden hair, spun into a neat, swirled bun on top of her head, with one curled lock hanging down either side of her face and her side swept bangs. Her figure was both feminine and strong, and she was about his height if he could guess. She wore a red neckerchief, which matched her red cloth belt. Strapped to that belt, was what looked like a small wallet and, oddly enough a sheathed dagger. As Link stared at her curiously, he also noticed her feminine tanned facial features, including her slightly-parted mouth, giving her an unconsciously peaceful, innocent and somewhat pretty look that the boy couldn't help but smile at.

However, as he was examining the strange girl, he failed to notice the bird from earlier swooping over the forest, with a new load in its grasp. Or rather, two new loads. With a screech, the bird dropped the two twin creatures into the clearing right beside the tree where the girl hung from, making Link jump at the wild noises they made.

The creatures, more commonly known as bokoblins were roughly the same size as Link, with blue skin, long ears, small, angry eyes, short tails, pointed under bite fangs and long horns jutting from their foreheads. They each yielded little more than a simple stick for a weapon, but they charged towards Link nonetheless, violence flashing in their tiny eyes.

The boy's eyes widened for a moment at the monsters, but he quickly gathered his wits about him and drew his sword. To his surprise, the blade seemed stranger lighter and more comfortable than it had when he had trained with Orca. But he ignored that fact for the moment and leapt out of the path of one of the creatures' swings. In retaliation, Link swung his own weapon at the bokoblin, landing a hit on its arm. The bokoblin screeched in anger and swiped its stick at Link once more, which the boy barely managed to dodge before landing another blow on the monster, this time sending it reeling. The first creature collapsed to the ground, defeated, and vanished less than a second later in a mysterious puff of smoke. In a similar manner, Link dispatched the other bokoblin, though by the time he was done, he was out of breath, clearly not used to the heat of battle. But he had to admit that it was exciting. The rush of adrenaline he received when swinging his sword was exhilarating, though he wondered how he had been able to act and react as he did. A few of the moves he preformed he had not even learned from Orca. Where did they come from and how did he just somehow know how to do them?

Link didn't have much time to question this though, for less than a moment after the bokoblins vanished, a surprised cry sounded from behind him. Turning around, he saw that the girl was finally awake, though clearly distraught over her position in the tree, as she thrashed around wildly, trying to break free from the branch that held her.

Link, noticing that the integrity branch was beginning to waver, ran forward to try and catch her, but he was too late. The branch snapped in half before he could even gat close and the girl plummeted to the ground with a frightened cry.

"OUCH!" the girl exclaimed in pain as she pulled herself from the ground and dusted herself off. "Huh?" she said, a bit disoriented as she looked around, her large dark blue eyes finally setting their confused gaze on Link. "Wow," she said, examining his clothes. "What's with that get-up?"

Link frowned and rolled his eyes. _Not her too… _he thought. "Are you OK?" he asked, pushing begrudging thoughts of his clothes away.

The girl frowned, but nodded. "Yeah," she said bluntly, her voice suddenly gruff and commanding. "I-Ow!" she gasped in pain and grasped her ankle as she tried to take a step forward.

"Do you need any help?" Link asked, suddenly concerned for her though he wasn't sure why. After all, the very first words she said to him were condescending, despite the fact that he had came all the way up here to help her.

"No, I'm fine!" the girl said quickly, pushing all signs of pain off her face. "So… How'd I get here?"

"A huge bird dropped you here and I-" Link tried to explain, but the girl cut him off abruptly.

"Oh, that's right!" she exclaimed, sudden anger showing up on her features. "That giant bird came and…" she trailed off, her blue eyes flashing with rage.

"And I came up here to help you…" Link muttered, trying to finish off his previous thought.

The girl looked to him with wide eyes. "What?" she said, almost accusingly.

"I said I came up here to help you," he said. "My sister and I saw you fall and I came to see if you were ok."

The girl narrowed her eyes at him. "I didn't need any help," she said smugly.

Link was taken aback by this proclamation. She didn't even thank him or show any signs of gratitude for his help! How ungrateful and rude this girl was!

"Miss Tetra!" a bellowing male voice suddenly called out from the entrance to the woods. It came from a tall, muscular man wearing a green shirt, white pants and a red bandana, with a large red nose and tanned skin. The man, one of the pirates Link assumed, rushed over to the girl. "Oh! Miss…" the pirate said breathlessly as he approached the girl. "Thank goodness you're safe! When the boys and I saw you set dropped on this mountain, we'd all thought for sure that you'd…" he trailed off, but then sighed in relief.

"Summit?" the girl asked harshly. "That bird dropped me on a mountain somewhere?" she crossed her arms and scowled. "Well! That wasn't very nice of it!" With no further thought, the girl, Tetra as the pirate had called her, began to storm off in the direction of the forest's exit. "Well don't just stand there Gonzo!" she called to the male pirate. "Let's go! We're going to pay that big oaf of a bird a lesson!"

"But Miss…" Gonzo murmured. "What about this kid?"

Tetra stopped in her tracks as she reached the exit. She spun around and looked right at Link with a fierce look in her eyes. "Forget about him!" she exclaimed harshly. "Just come on!"

The pirate did so, only giving a short glance back at Link before following after Tetra. Link found himself scowling at the girl as she left. He couldn't believe her! He may have very well saved her life, but she refused to acknowledge him! Link hadn't expected much, but he had thought that he deserved at least a little more gratitude than what Tetra had given him. But at least now that she was safe, she'd be leaving Outset, hopefully for good. And as Link followed the two pirates out of the woods, he regretted even trying to help the proud, bitter, independent, hateful pirate girl.

* * *

_**Oh Tetra... she's so funny! I love this first part of the game, simply because of her! (and also because of Aryll, cause she's so darned cute!) anyway, thanks so much to G.M for being the first to review! keep em coming! i love feedback! Well until next time!**_


	4. Aryll's Capture

_Chapter 3: Aryll's Capture_

"_And when the great dark hand stretched out its claws__, __Devouring the girl-child, six years old – yet__, __Wet-winged and tender, dew-damp and dear; __A rupture of her deepest Spirit's core __triggered molten lava rivers -__Thickly churning down the steep__, __Imperial mountains of her years of devotion.__Burning ravaging scars across wide__ w__ilderness valleys of hideous new emptiness.__Cooling and hardening, imprisoning her __solidly beneath the crust."  
_-_The Kidnapping, _Rosemary J. Gwaltney

Even though Link was still silently fuming about Tetra, he was glad to finally leave the darkened woods in favor of the bright sunshine once more. Outside, Tetra and Gonzo stood before the bridge, discussing the circumstances of Tetra's capture. Link was ready to just ignore them altogether and get back to Aryll, but it seemed that she had already come to him.

"'Hoy big brother!" Aryll called, waving at him from the other side of the bridge.

"Aryll!" Link called, running to the foot of the bridge. "Why'd you come up here?" Link tried his best not to sound too concerned, especially around the cold, uncaring Tetra, but he couldn't help it. The summit was a dangerous place, and it certainly wasn't a place that he wanted Aryll to be near.

"I wanted to see if you found that girl!" Aryll smiled, as if she was unaware of the potential danger.

Link sighed in slight exasperation, but couldn't help but grin. He thought he heard Tetra scoff, and if he really had, he wouldn't have been too surprised. But as he saw Aryll starting to cross over the rickety bridge, he grew concerned once again. "Aryll, stay over there!" he cautioned, but she was either ignoring him or she couldn't hear him over the wind because she continued across the bridge nonetheless.

There was absolutely nothing that could have been done about what happened next. The bird that had dropped Tetra into the woods had suddenly returned, screeching vengefully as it flew towards the bridge at a frightening speed; its sharp talons already extended as it headed straight for Aryll.

Link was frozen in place with terror as he watched the monstrous bird make its approach towards Aryll, but he did the only thing he could possibly do: called out to his defenseless sister, even though he knew it wouldn't stop the inevitable. "Aryll!" he shouted, his eyes wide with panic as he watched Aryll stop in her tracks and stare at the bird, letting out a terrified, heart-wrenching scream as the beast snatched her up in its huge claws in one fluid movement.

"Link!" the distraught girl cried as loud as she could, stretching her one free out as the bird began to flap away with the same speed that it had came.

In that moment, as Link heard his sister's petrified cries for him, he did not think. He simply drew his sword and ran after the retreating bird as fast as his legs could carry him. Tetra and Gonzo watched him with wide eyes, but he didn't acknowledge them. The only thing that he could do at the moment was chase after this wicked beast of a bird that had captured his sweet, innocent little sister. Both his heart and his mind raced, thinking that with each step, he was getting closer to the bird and Aryll, and that he'd be able to stop the creature before it could take her any farther away, until…

Suddenly, the boy could no longer feel solid ground under his feet. Looking down to the water miles below him, he realized all too late that he had run right off the edge of the cliff! Link let out a frightened yell as he began to plummet, but then something miraculously grabbed onto his wrist at the last minute. But even so, Link struggled to free himself from whatever, or whoever was holding onto him; they were just keeping him from helping Aryll, whose terrified calls still rung in his eyes as he watched the shape of the bird grow ever smaller as it flew further away.

"Stupid kid!" he heard Tetra grunt and, glancing up only for a second, Link saw that the pirate girl had been the one to catch him, effectively saving his life. She grasped his free hand with both of hers and was only safe from falling off the cliff herself thanks to Gonzo holding onto her. "Get ahold of yourself!" she said harshly. "She's gone! There's nothing you can do!"

"No!" Link shouted fiercely, telling himself more than anyone that it wasn't true. But as he watched the evil bird fly off into the distance with Aryll in tow, until it became little more than a dark violet speck in the clear blue sky, Link realized with a heavy heart that she was right: Aryll was gone and there was absolutely nothing he could do.

* * *

Link stood in front of the very same watchtower that he and Aryll had stood on that morning and stared up at the platform in grief, wishing that it was all just a terrible nightmare that he'd wake up from any moment. But it wasn't; this was all too real and he knew it. The bird had indeed taken Aryll away and he had no idea where she was now, or if she was even alive for that matter.

Out of the corner of his eyes, Link could see Tetra and Gonzo as they headed for their docked ship. Another, shorter pirate meet them on shore. When the three of them had headed down from the cliff, the two pirates had hurried down the path in awkward silence as Link traveled down the hill in a much slower pace, trying to come to grips with what had happened, but failing. He had been right there, and had seen the bird steal Aryll away with his own two eyes, but he had been unable to do anything at all. He had failed to protect his beloved little sister, and there was a very real chance that he'd never see her again.

Link almost let out a sob as he stood before the watchtower, but he suppressed it when he caught sight of Tetra looking right at him from her spot on the beach. He wasn't about to let the snide, cold-hearted girl see him cry just so she could make fun of him over it. So instead, he hastily climbed up the ladder, to the top of the tower. There, he took out Aryll's treasured telescope she had let him borrow and held it gently, looking out at the endless sea as he let a few stray warm tears fall down his cheeks.

Why had this happened? _How _could this happen? Outset Island had always been a safe place. Until now. Link wondered so many different things at once. What did that bird want with his sister? Would he ever see her again? What would become of her? How would he be able to face Grandma and tell her the tragedy that had just occurred? As Link pondered over these troublesome questions, a lone seagull landed on the platform railing and looked around, most likely for Aryll. Link sighed and frowned at the bird, sharing its sentiments in wishing that Aryll was there. No more than a second later, the gull took off once more, flying in the direction that the monster bird had taken Aryll. And as he watched it fly away, he began to feel strangely hopeful. The seagull seemed to be signifying that Aryll wasn't gone forever, but that she had simply been stolen away, lost somewhere on the Great Sea, waiting to be found and brought home. And at that moment, Link knew that he'd be the one to bring her home. He had to. Though he had failed to protect her when she was taken, he was going to find her and save her, wherever was. And, as he glanced over at the still-docked pirate ship, he got an idea about how he was going to go about finding her.

Wiping his face clean, the boy took in a deep breath as he climbed down the ladder. He wasn't sure how the brash Tetra would take the request that he was about to make to her, but he had to try for Aryll's sake.

When Link arrived on the beach, Tetra, Gonzo and the shorter pirate were still there, discussing the events from earlier, so they didn't pay him any mind as he approached. Swallowing up any reservations, Link called out to the pirate girl. "Hey Tetra!" he said, not backing down as the girl turned to face him with a sharp look in her blue eyes.

"What do you want?" she asked bitterly. She didn't seem to even care about the tragedy that had just befallen him, but Link had not expected her to be sympathetic. All he needed from her was a helpful hand. After all she did owe it to him: if it hadn't been for her, that wicked bird would have never come to Outset at all and Aryll would still be safe.

Link took in another deep breath. "I need you to take me with you on your ship so I can find my sister," he said firmly, despite Tetra's harsh glare.

The moment she heard this, Tetra's eyes widened for a second. "_What?!" _she asked brutally, placing her hands on her hips and glaring at him once more. "Do you even know what you're asking? We're pirates! You know… PIRATES?! The terror of the seas?"

Despite Tetra's rough manner, Link was firm in his resolve. "I know. But I need your help. Please," he said, not trying to sound too desperate lest Tetra see it as weakness. Link knew that if he appeared weak to her for even a second, then she'd never agree to let him on her ship.

"No!" Tetra exclaimed, just as tight in her answer as Link had been. "Absolutely not! What does bringing some helpless little kid along with us give us? I'll tell you what… a headache…"

Link scowled at her. Why was she implying that he was nothing more than a pathetic child? After all, she wasn't much older than he was and it had been _him _who had saved _her _in the forest!

"And besides," Tetra continued. "Even if we were to take you along, we don't even know where that bird went, so it'd be a worthless waste of time!" She sighed, and her rough tone softened, if only for a moment. "Look, I know how you must feel, with your sister having been kidnapped and all…" Link was almost surprised at Tetra seeming to show emotions other than bitterness, but the pirate girl quickly took it back a second later as she reverted back to her normal manner. "But that really doesn't have anything to do with us, now does it?"

"And just how do you figure that?" a stern male voice asked out of nowhere. Link, Tetra and the two pirates turned to see the Rito postman, Quill, standing nearby, having heard the entire conversation and looking quite displeased with the pirate's rough manner. "After all, this entire tragedy came about because of _your _presence here."

"Whoa! Hey now!" Gonzo barked defensively after a commanding glance from Tetra. "Just who do you think you are? Where do you get off interrupting someone else's conversation like that?"

"Please!" Quill scoffed, crossing his arms. "All I mean to say is that if you _terrifying _pirates hadn't come to this peaceful little island, then that poor girl wouldn't have been snatched away by that giant bird at all."

Tetra glared at the Rito mercilessly, clearly not used to being put in her place. "And just what do you mean by that?" she spat, her hands balling up into fists. "This isn't our fault! We-"

She was cut off by Quill, who raised a hand to silence her. "Now just be quiet for a moment and I'll tell you!" he said, ignoring Tetra's ever deepening scowl. "Now, since I am a mail carrier, I spend much of time traveling to many different islands, hearing many different things as I go. One of the most recent rumors I happened to come across is that young girls throughout all regions the Great Sea have been getting kidnapped by that same bird, never to be seen again. Particularly young girls with long, pointed ears much like yours, young lady. And unless my eyes fail me, the young girl that was just kidnapped from this very island also has long ears, much like YOU do, does she not, Miss Fearsome Pirate?"

Tetra swallowed, her glare softening as she took in what the postman had said. "Well…" she stammered almost nervously. "I… uh…"

"My point is," Quill went on. "That bird mistook that poor girl for you, which is the very reason why it grabbed her!"

Tetra remained silent and wide eyed, unsure of what to say. Link stared at the postman in awe, amazed that he had been able to humble the fierce, unrelenting pirate girl in such a way. With Quill's help, maybe he would be able to grab a ride of her pirate ship after all!

"And," the Rito continued, this time looking over at Link. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but I do believe it was young Link here who saved you from the monsters in the forest, wasn't it?"

Before Link could reply, Tetra shot him a burning glare. "That's not true," she protested hatefully, but after receiving an equally harsh look from Quill, she recoiled slightly. "Is it?" she muttered under her breath, looking down.

Link nodded. "Well, yeah," he said plainly ."I guess…"

Tetra's face grew red with sudden fury. "Well, what does that have to do with anything!?" she exclaimed, passing a scowl between both Quill and Link. "I mean, even if we were to consider helping you look for her, that doesn't change the fact that no one has any idea where that bird took her to! Like I said before, it'd be nothing more than a wild goose chase across the Great Sea. I bet even you don't have the answer to that, Mr. Know-it All Postman!"

"Ah," Quill said calmly. "Actually, I was getting to that."

"Oh, come on!" Tetra murmured in annoyance, but Quill continued nonetheless.

"I've heard that the bird that kidnapped both you and Link's sister has made its foul nest to the north," the postman said. "On the heights of the Forsaken Fortress."

A collective gasp escaped from Tetra and her two pirate lackeys. The girl's jaw dropped and her tanned face grew pale at the mention of the name of the fortress. Link wondered exactly what about the place, aside from its already intimidating name, was frightening enough to instill fear into even Tetra.

"The Forsaken Fortress!" Tetra exclaimed breathlessly, staring at the Rito in disbelief. "But… but that's the place where…" she trailed off, looking down with her eyes still wide and nervous.

"So," Quill crossed his arms once more, paying no mind to the pirates' sudden change of manner. "What are you planning on doing? Under the circumstances, I don't think it would be entirely unreasonable for you to give Link a little help, now would it?"

Tetra sucked in a large breath. "I don't need you to tell me that!" she said shrilly. "But… Lately I've heard nothing but evil rumors about this Forsaken Fortress! They say that monsters have taken up shop there and everything! Going there would be a death wish!"

"Well then," Quill said firmly. "It's a good thing your all 'brave, strong pirates', isn't it? Or, was that just a front to hide your true cowardice?"

Tetra let loose a hateful growl of frustration at the postman. "If there's one thing we're not," she hissed. "Its cowards. You!" she shouted to Link, her blue eyes blazing with anger. "I hope you realize just what you're getting yourself into here, kid…"

"Does that mean you'll take me to that Forsaken Fortress place?" Link asked with renewed hope.

The pirate girl nodded begrudgingly. "Yeah, whatever…" she said, rolling her eyes. "But…" she gave him a piercing look, almost one of examination before scoffing once more. "You can't possibly mean to go to a place like the Forsaken Fortress armed with nothing but that cheap little sword? That's not brave! That's stupid! I mean, come on! There has to be something on even on this simple little island that you can use as a shield. You know something to protect yourself with? Anything?"

As Tetra was purposing this problem, Link had already thought up a solution for it. In the back of his mind, he remembered the old wooden shield that hung on the wall on the second floor of his house. Hanging the family's shield on the wall was a tradition that was passed down from generation to generation on Outset Island. Though only used as a wall decoration nowadays, Link remembered hearing Grandma tell him and Aryll about how the shield had been used by their ancestors long ago along with the swords that boys would receive when coming of age. Link knew the near-ancient wooden shield wouldn't be much, but it'd be something. After all, Tetra was right; if this Forsaken Fortress place was truly as terrifying as she made it out to be, he'd need every bit of protection he could get.

"I have something," Link confirmed a moment later.

"Sure you do…" Tetra rolled her eyes. "Tell you what; if you can come back here with a shield before I change my mind, then we'll let you hitch a ride on our ship. Got it? Oh, and one more thing: once we leave, we won't be coming back here for quite some time, so you'd better go say good bye to your family while you still have the chance. The last thing I want is you getting all homesick and weepy-eyed on me!"

Ignoring Tetra's last belittling comment, Link couldn't help but smile for the first time since Aryll's kidnapping as he nodded. He hurried off towards the house, giving a grateful thanks to Quill as the Rito flew away. He finally had a way of getting to his lost sister! With any luck, he'd be able to bring her home with either of them unharmed. But Link knew that what he was about to do would be unlike anything he had ever done before; for the first time ever, he would be leaving Outset Island and going out into the vast open seas. All his life he had dreamed of this, but when the opportunity finally presented itself, it couldn't have been under worse circumstances. Traveling with a bunch of rowdy pirates to a mysterious place called the Forsaken Fortress to look for his kidnapped sister. Link knew the odds of him actually succeeding in such a difficult task would be against him, but he had to. For Aryll.

* * *

_**Aww... this chapter was so sad to write... Its this part of the game that i really love the fact that Link's facial expressions are so... well, expressive! Just look the look of pure grief he has as he watches Aryll being carried away... almost made me cry myself the first time i played the game! Well anyway, just wanted to say that if your liking what you're reading, please feel free to leave me a review! I guess that's all for now, until next time!**_


	5. Departure

_Chapter 4: Departure_

"_Like the ocean I wave. Hello and goodbye are the same when I talk with my hand."  
_-Jarod Kintz, _$3.33_

Link's heart sank the moment he entered his house and saw that Grandma was not on the first floor. That meant that the only other place she could be was up in the loft, where he would have to go to get the shield. There was no sneaking past her. Part of him didn't want to tell her about Aryll's kidnapping or the fact that he was going to have to leave the island to search for her. He wasn't sure how the poor old woman would take losing both of her grandchildren all in one day. But at the same time, Link knew that he had to tell her; he had to give her hope that he would return home with Aryll soon.

As he had expected, Grandma stood waiting for him in the loft, her back turned to him. In his head, Link prepared an explanation for everything that had happened, but the old woman spoke before he could give it.

"Link…" She said, her tone already morose and sorrowful. "It's true what the folks around the island have been saying isn't it? About Aryll?"

The boy took in a deep breath and looked down. He proceeded to tell the full tale with a heavy heart, about the bird, the pirates, and finally Aryll's capture. As he was finishing the story, Grandma turned to face him, her wrinkled face awash with grief.

"So she really is gone…" she said sadly, her eyes already filling with tears. "What kind of monster could take such a sweet, innocent little girl…?" At this, Grandma began to sob and Link was almost to that point himself at seeing her pure sorrow. But it was at that moment that he glanced at the shield hanging from the wall and remembered his resolve.

"Grandma," he began placing a consoling hand on her shoulder. "Don't cry. Aryll will be fine. I'm going to find her and bring her home."

The elderly woman choked on one of her sobs. "No Link!" she exclaimed, distraught at this news. "I can't lose both of you at once. Please…"

Link sighed, knowing that even though he was breaking his grandmother's heart, this had to be done. "But if I don't go," he said firmly. "Then we'll lose Aryll forever."

Grandma sniffed and looked her grandson in the eyes for a moment or two. And then, her frown turned into a soft, but still sad smile. "I'm so proud of you…" she said quietly, giving him a hug. Link tired his best to suppress his tears, but failed, letting one small tear fall as he hugged his grandmother for possibly the last time. But he knew that he _had_ to make it back now with Aryll. He_ would _return home with her. Their small family would be reunited and would see peace one more. He'd make it happen at any cost.

After the long hug dissolved, Grandma turned and walked over to the wall slowly. "Please," she said warmly as she removed the shield from the wall and handed it to him. "Take this with you."

Link frowned as he took the shield, looking over its ancient features while Grandma prepared a pack of provisions for him to take. It had a brown wooden face with a white metal frame. Towards the bottom, were the painted white image of a large bird and the shape of three golden triangles resting above the bird. The shield was old to be sure, but Link was certain that it would serve its purpose well. Not only would it protect him from the monsters no doubt lurking in the Forsaken Fortress, but it would also remind him of Grandma and of his home on Outset. And hopefully, it would be enough to please the fussy Tetra.

Before he left, Grandma gave him the small pack filled with provisions for the trip. Link wasn't sure how long he'd be gone, but Grandma had made sure to fill the pack with plenty of food and a small stash of Rupees that she had been saving. As he was heading out the door, the old woman gave him one final hug, tears streaming down her face all the while.

"Come home soon…" she whispered solemnly before he was entirely gone.

"We will," Link said hopefully, as he closed the door behind him. "I promise."

* * *

"Well it's about time!" Tetra called out impatiently when she saw Link approaching from the western side of the isle. "We were about to ship off without you!"

Link ignored her pushy manner as he hurried onto the beach. Before he could even tell the pirate girl that he was ready to go however, she scoffed, noticing the shield strapped to his back. "Wow," she said with sarcasm, crossing her arms. "You call that decrepit thing a shield? Are you sure you can even use that old antique? Are you gonna get splinters and cry?"

The boy sighed in exasperation. What was this girl's problem with him? Why did she enjoy patronizing and teasing him so much? Whatever Tetra's motives for being so bitter were, Link didn't have the time or patience to mull over them. He knew that he had to devote his focus entirely to finding Aryll now. So, he pushed any final reservations he had out of his mind and looked to Tetra with resolve. "I'm ready to go," he said firmly.

Tetra narrowed her eyes at him for a moment. "Uh huh," she sighed in slight annoyance. "Well then, let's be off." Without another word, she turned to the two pirates who still stood with her on the shore and motioned for them to go on ahead onto the ship. Their leader, however, lingered for a moment, staring at Link with an unreadable expression on her face.

"What?" Link asked, raising an eyebrow at her in curiosity.

"Listen…" she said slowly, something strange… almost foreboding in her tone. "Are you absolutely certain that you want to go through with this? The Forsaken Fortress… well, it's nothing like your peaceful little island here. You don't have to do this…"

Link gazed at her with curiosity and slight confusion. It was as though she was a completely different person than before: instead of being rash and rude like before, Tetra now seemed to be almost… concerned about him. But why? Not once in the short amount of time that he'd known her, had the pirate girl shown anything but hostility for him. What had brought about this sudden change in demeanor? Was it because she was longer surrounded by her burly pirate lackeys? Was this who she really was when she wasn't the stern pirate leader? This girl was becoming more and more curious to Link, but regardless, he wasn't about to back down, even in the face of Tetra's sincere warning.

"I have to," he finally answered, taking note of Tetra's serious frown. "My sister needs my help."

The pirate girl sighed almost sadly and turned her back to him. "Then come on," she said dryly as she led the way to the pirate ship.

* * *

Link was bewildered from the very first moment that he set foot on the large vessel. The boat was abuzz with activity; Tetra's pirates scurried about, doing various tasks in preparation of embarking from the island. Three of them, including Gonzo, had large, muscular builds that gave them a tough appearance while the other two on the top deck were smaller pirates, about Tetra's height. They all gave respectful nods as their young captain passed by, barking out orders to them which they were quick to follow. Link couldn't help but wonder, as he followed close behind the pirate leader as she made her way towards the ship's stern, why this group of hardened seamen loyally followed Tetra despite the fact that she was so much younger than any of them.

From the ship's stern, Link had an excellent view of Outset Island in its entirety. As he stood there looking out on the only place he had ever called home, he realized that not only was he about to leave his home, but also everything that he had ever known. He was about to venture out into vast realms of the Great Sea, which had for so long had been little more than the stuff of sailor tales and weathered books. Though Link was as ready as he could ever be for such a journey, he knew well that there was a good chance that he might never see the peaceful haven of Outset again. And so the boy savored these last few moments of familiarity, before his soon-coming plunge into the unknown.

The loud sound of a sounding gong drew Link out of his thoughts as he glanced behind him to see Tetra ordering the crew to weigh anchor and finally head off. The ship's large white sail was quickly released and began to flutter along with the winds as they started to push the barge forward. At long last, they were on their way.

"Hey," called Tetra, who was sitting casually a few feet behind Link's position on the stern and giving him a coy grin. "Looks like you've got a nice little send-off down there."

Link looked in the direction of the beach of the island, where the pirate captain was pointing to see a sight that both raised his spirits and made him regret leaving at the same time. Almost all of the few residents of Outset Island had gathered on the beach to see him off, waving and calling out goodbyes and well-wishes. Appreciative of their kindness, Link waved back to his long-time friends and neighbors, catching sight of old Orca, who was not known to leave his house too often, standing within the door frame of his home, waving goodbye as well. The only person missing from the send-off party was...

Link gasped when he saw her, standing on the back porch of their house though not waving goodbye like the others. The ship was already starting to get further away from the island, but he spotted her nonetheless. Grandma. Ignoring the fact that Tetra was watching him, Link rushed to the back-most part of the stern to get one last look at his grandmother. With each passing second, her already small form was growing more and more distant as the ship left the island behind it. Frowning, Link raised both arms and waved widely and slowly to her, to make sure she could see him. He wasn't entirely sure, but he believed that, for only a moment, he could vaguely see her waving back as her final goodbye. Link had to remind himself that this wasn't going to be a permanent parting as Outset began to fade into a large shadow on the horizon. He'd be back with Aryll before Grandma even knew it. Or at least he hoped.

Tetra's growl of annoyance was what finally drove his attention away from his disappearing home. "How much longer do you think this is going to go on?" she asked sharply. "Do you have an estimate?"

Link didn't give an answer as he turned to face her. He scowled the moment he saw that constant snide grin on her face, her arms crossed as she sat in a relaxed position. Of course, she would be the one to interrupt his goodbyes. All traces of concern that she had shown on the beach were completely gone and her normal, rude manner had fully returned.

Tetra chucked at his annoyance. "Are you sure you shouldn't just quit right now?" she asked, still trying to get him to give up. "Seriously, I'd think about it if I were you."

Link sighed in exasperation. He knew that it was too late to give up. There would be no turning back now. "I told you before," he said firmly. "I'm still going, no matter what."

Tetra simply rolled her eyes and leaned back, closing one eye to give him a long wink. "Whatever," she said indifferently. "I can tell you're just going to get more sentimental from here on out. All I'm saying is there's still time you know… Are you absolutely sure we shouldn't just turn around and take you home?"

By this point, Link had finally had enough of Tetra's disparagement. He wasn't about to let it continue. "Stop it!" he said angrily, almost yelling at her but not quite. "I'm going to do this, no matter what you say! You trying to discourage me isn't helping. The sooner I rescue my sister, the sooner I'll be off your ship and then you'll finally have what you want. So just quit it already!"

Throughout his entire speech, Tetra started at him with wide eyes and her jaw dropped in surprise. Clearly she had not expected him to blatantly stand up for himself in such a manner. She remained in stunned silence even after Link finished. Receiving no snide comeback from the pirate girl, Link sighed and turned to watch Outset vanish into the horizon once more. Perhaps he had been a bit harsh, but if anyone deserved it, it was certainly Tetra. He certainly felt better having gotten his frustration for her off his chest.

What he didn't realize was Tetra's amazement over his proclamation. No one had ever been so brazen as to speak to her in such a manner before. And, as strange as it was for her to admit to herself, perhaps the cold-hearted, solitary pirate girl had gained a level of newfound respect for this strange yet bold boy, who had made it clear that he would stop at nothing to save his missing sister.

* * *

_**This took a while thanks to writer's block, but here it is! I had originally meant for this to be longer, encompassing everything until the ship's arrival at to the forsaken fortress, but meh... so anyway. Until next time!**_


	6. On the Pirate Ship

_Chapter 5: On the Pirate Ship_

_"Everybody wish to be a pirate."  
-_Astrid Berges-Frisbey

Sometime after Outset completely faded from view, Tetra had muttered something absently to Link about heading below the ship's deck to meet with another pirate by the name of Niko. Truthfully, Link had only heard about half of what she had said; he was still silently fuming with anger at her. But nonetheless he followed her instructions and headed for the lower part of the ship.

Compared to the upper half of the large vessel, the area below deck was much smaller and more confined. It certainly didn't smell pleasant, but Link hadn't really expected it to; after all these were the living quarters to a group of about six hardened pirates, most of which were probably not well acquainted with the concept of regular bathing. As opposed to the bustling upper deck, the bottom part of the ship was also rather empty, save for the one small pirate whom Link was to report to waiting in the furthest back room.

"Oh! Well now! It's about time! Looks like I've got me a new swabbie!" the short pirate squeaked with glee the moment Link wandered into the large cargo room. Link recognized him as the third pirate that had joined Tetra and Gonzo on the beach back at Outset. He was rather young, younger than most of the other pirates anyway, making him in his late teens possibly. He wore a red and white striped shirt and green pants, along with a blue bandana. He had short dark blonde sideburns and a single tooth sticking out from his large, eager grin, giving him a youthful and somewhat comical appearance. "The name's Niko, kid and as of today, I'll be your superior!"

"Superior?" Link repeated, somewhat confused. After all, he had no intentions of staying on the pirate ship any longer than he needed to in order to save Aryll.

"That's right!" Niko proclaimed proudly. "Before you came, I was at what you'd call the 'bottom rung' of the pirate ladder. But not anymore! You see, when a new swabbie comes aboard, they immediately take the bottom spot, which as of right now, makes that you kid! It's like pirate law or something. Anyway, you don't have to worry too much. I'll promise to go easy on you if you do what I say, ok?"

Link frowned at the elated Niko, trying to take him as seriously as he could. In truth, following the orders of this dotty pirate was the last thing on the boy's mind at the moment, but he decided there was no point in disagreeing with him. Besides, maybe it would take his mind of the impending and dreaded task of working his way through the supposedly treacherous Forsaken Fortress. "Fine," Link agreed, after a brief hesitation.

"Great!" Niko grinned. "Now since you're new, you have to go through a little… heheh… 'initiation' that all new swabbies have to take… It's a bit of a doozy, so listen up! See those hanging lanterns over there?" He pointed to the larger part of the cargo hold, where several lanterns hung from very long ropes set between a series of small, raised wooden platforms. "You gotta use those ropes to make it to the other side of this room," He then pointed to a small doorway on the opposite side of the room, which seemed to be accessible only from the platforms. "So, you gotta do THIS!" With a shout of gusto, Niko ran forward and leaped towards the nearest rope, grasping onto it and swinging from it for a moment or two before leaping to the nearest platform. Link watched with slight amazement as the short pirate repeated the maneuver multiple times, swinging his way to the other side of the room with almost no effort until he landed on the final platform where the door rested with bravado.

"Just like that now!" Niko called from the other end of the room. "But, it will probably take you at least one year before you even come close to making it all the way over here. One rough year. One tough year, full of bumps and bruises…"

Link quietly sighed in exasperation. It didn't really matter either way since he certainly wasn't going to stay on the ship for anywhere near a year. But he could have done without the pirate underling's sheer lack of confidence. Did all of Tetra's pirates take after her condescending nature?

"But if you do somehow manage to do it faster," Niko offered with grin, "maybe I'll reward you! Now come on! Give it a try! This should be good for a chuckle or two…"

Link shot the pirate a quick glare as he headed through the doorway, but he was in no mood to argue having already spent all his anger on Tetra. But he did intend to prove Niko wrong. After all, if the tiny pirate could use some ropes to leap between a few platforms, then so could he.

Positioning himself just right, Link looked at the first rope and mentally prepared himself before rushing forward. At the edge of the current platform, he lept with as much strength as he could and grappled in midair for the rope. The moment his fingers made contact with it, he grasped onto the thin rope and hugged it for dear life as it swung forward swiftly through the air. After a second or two, the rope gradually stopped swinging and came to a slow halt, with Link still clinging onto it, screaming at himself not to look down. But despite his mental warnings, he did and saw that there was a good ten feet between him and the hard wooden floor. Not enough of a fall to seriously harm him, but it would still significantly hurt nonetheless.

Closing his eyes and taking in a deep breath, Link began to lean forward on the rope, lurching it slowly forward. With each push, the rope swung wider until Link was certain that if he leapt from it, he'd successfully land on the next platform with ease. And so he did, but a second too late. Instead of landing squarely on the platform, he came a few feet shy of it, just barely grabbing onto the edge of the platform with one hand. Unfortunately, his already failing grip quickly slipped and the boy plummeted to the ground roughly. He landed hard on his front side, the impact with the floor briefly knocking the wind out of him. As he shakily pulled himself up from the ground, he heard Niko's snickers from the far platform and growled in frustration. But Link wasn't about to give up that easily. Gathering his bearings once more, he headed over to the ladder leaning against the near wall and climbed back up to the starting platform and lept onto the first rope to try again.

This time around, Link was much more successful in his attempt. Timing his jump just right, he landed, albeit clumsily, on the platform. With a small grin of confidence, he prepared to make the leap to the next rope and did so with ease, swinging over to the next platform and landing with a bit more skill. After a few times, it became an easy, natural maneuver and before he knew it, Link had landed on the final platform in no time at all.

Niko, however, had been paying little attention to his approach and had not seen him as he got closer and closer. But the moment he saw the boy come into the back room of the cargo hold where he was waiting, the small pirate's eyes grew wide with surprise.

"What?!" Niko stammered, somewhat alarmed. "You… you did it already?! I… I'm proud to have you… as my underling!" His look of surprise turned into a wide grin, which Link, though a bit tired from traveling across the wide room by swinging, returned nonetheless.

"So what's this reward you promised?" Link asked, and Niko's smile suddenly vanished.

"Oh yeah…" the pirate said, looking down. "I wonder if it's ok to just give that to him…" he muttered nervously under his breath, but Link could still hear him anyway. "I don't see why not… I doubt Miss Tetra will find out…" Niko took in a deep sigh before turning to Link again. "Ok," he nodded. "I'll give it to you only if you promise not to tell Miss Tetra! She'd be awfully mad if she found out that I just let you have it!"

Link agreed to Niko's terms and the short pirate pulled a brown leather pouch out from behind his back and handed it to Link. "This is what we pirates call a 'spoils bag'," Niko explained. "It's used for storing all sorts of loot. In fact, I'd wager that that thing could hold pretty much anything!"

Link took the bag and smiled gratefully, seeing how such a thing could be useful in the future. "Thanks," he said, strapping it to his belt.

"Hey!" Tetra's voice suddenly barked out from the top of the stairs leading below deck. "Link, we're here! We've reached the Forsaken Fortress! Hurry and get up here!"

"Aw!" Niko pouted, sad to see his new swabbie go. "Leaving already?"

"Yeah," Link said turning to leave. "But thanks again for the spoils bag. I guess I'll see you after I save my sister."

Niko's eyes lit up. "Oh yeah!" he grinned, waving goodbye to the boy. "Later swabbie! And good luck!"

Link smiled and nodded as he left, heading for the main deck to meet with Tetra. Out of all the pirates he had encountered so far, Niko was by far the most laid back and good-humored, though that probably resulted from him being the lowest among the crew. And his little "initiation" had briefly helped Link take his mind off of what he was about to do, the no doubt dangerous task that was only a few moments away now. What if he couldn't do it? What if he wouldn't be able to save Aryll? Then Grandma really would lose both of them…

The moment the bitter thought came to his mind, Link scolded himself for it. The last thing he needed at a moment like this was to underestimate himself. Even if he knew the odds were stacked high against him, he needed to at the very least have some shred of confidence going in. Aryll was counting on him and he was not about to let her down.

Link was somewhat surprised to find that night had already fallen as he made it to the main deck of the ship. His birthday was basically over now. In fact, if Aryll had not been taken away, he'd still be on Outset right now, celebrating at his party instead of on a pirate ship miles away from home. But Link knew that there was a much more pressing matter to deal with then fretting over the loss of this day; besides, he'd have all the more reason to celebrate once Aryll was safe and sound.

Straining his eyes to see through the nighttime darkness, Link looked for Tetra, but found no signs of the pirate leader. His former bitterness towards her from earlier had mostly subsided by now, and he could only hope that she would be less surely now because of his outburst, but he could never be too certain about her.

"Hey, Link!" Tetra's voice called out from somewhere Link couldn't see. "I'm up here!"

Looking directly above him, Link spotted Tetra looking down at him from the crow's nest of the ship, her expression neither irritable nor reserved but rather tense and anxious for some reason. But either way, Link hurried up the ladder to meet her on the crow's nest.

When he arrived at the top however, Tetra placed her hands on her hips and gave him a look of suspicion. "What were you doing with Niko down there?" she demanded, raising an eyebrow at him. "You two weren't playing some stupid little game, were you? For treasure…?"

Link had no intentions of ratting out poor Niko, knowing the lowest pirate would most likely be reprimanded for giving him the spoils bag, so he kept a straight, non-conspicuous face as he answered her. "No…" he said, coming up with a good enough lie for her. "He was just teaching me the ins and outs of being a pirate."

Tetra stared him down for a moment or two, as if seeing through his ruse, but eventually shrugged and rolled her eyes. "Well whatever!" she said, tossing the subject aside. "There's something I want you to see. Take a good look over there…" she turned and pointed to the large shadowed structure on the distance behind her. Link didn't need to be told that this place was their destination: the Forsaken Fortress. It truly lived up to its sinister name. It was a menacing, stone stronghold, its architecture jagged and disfigured. Anchors of various sizes hung from its jutting spires and, at the highest point of the fortress was the disconnected back end of a large ship. The monster bird could be clearly seen sitting in its large nest near the broken ship. Multiple spotlights moved across the water surrounding the fortress, making it impossible for a large vessel such as the pirate ship to penetrate it without being spotted. The place seemed to stand as an ominous shadow against the dark night sky, regardless of the glowing windows and spotlights; a symbol of treachery and danger.

"That's the cursed isle known only as the Forsaken Fortress…" Tetra muttered with contempt for the place. Link wasn't absolutely certain, but it seemed like Tetra had a past history with the structure, and though he was curious about it, he didn't press the matter.

"There are all sorts of bad rumors about this place…" Tetra continued, her tone dark and ominous. "Most ships are afraid to even come near here anymore because of them. What I do know is that this place used to be the hideout of a group of no-good pirates that we used to compete with… but they were just small time. The place looks a lot more dangerous now. I'd be willing to bet that the place is just crawling with all sorts of monsters, including that lummox of a bird. It looks like it's under really tight guard too with those spotlights…"

"So how do we get in?" Link asked, eager to get in and get out as quick as possible.

"Ha!" Tetra snorted in disbelief. "You really think we're all going in there with you? I'd never jeopardize the safety of my crew like that! We got you here, so you can do the rest on your own, right?"

"What?" Link asked with surprise. "But Tetra, you said it yourself. That place is dangerous! Its way too dangerous for me to go in there all alone!"

Tetra narrowed her dark blue eyes at him, but much to his surprise she didn't scold him like he had expected her to. "I'm going to ask you a simple question, Link," she said calmly. "Do you want to save your sister, or not?"

As soon as she asked that, all of his protests fell flat. His answer was so obvious that he didn't even have to say it. And as such, he knew that he wasn't going to receive any further aid from Tetra or her crew. He was on his own now.

After a lingering moment of silence between the two, Link turned to Tetra once more. "So how am _I _going to get in there?" he corrected himself begrudgingly.

Tetra shrugged. "If I knew, then you'd already be in there," she said bluntly.

Link sighed and looked towards the impregnable fortress once more. It was as he was examining the near impossible situation however that a small fleck of white caught his attention. _Several _small flecks of white to be exact. Curious, Link slowly pulled out Aryll's telescope that he had placed in the spoils bag and looked through it at the floating white specks. It was then that he noticed that they were a flock of seagulls, and quite a few of them at that, all lingering around one small window on a higher floor of the fortress.

By now, Tetra had also taken notice of the seagulls. "Weird…" she mused, but didn't think much of it. "What's with that flock of seagulls over there?"

Link couldn't help but frown as he watched the small birds circle the window. "Aryll loved seagulls…" he muttered to himself wistfully. However, no more than a second after he said it, the thought finally clicked in his mind. "That's it!" he exclaimed, brightening as he put the telescope away. "Seagulls always follow Aryll around, which means that-"

"They must be holding her in there!" Tetra finished the thought, grinning at him proudly. "Nice job, Link!" Tetra's eyes grew wide immediately though upon seeing Link smiling back at her and for some reason her cheeks grew bright red. Obviously, complements from the brash pirate captain were few and far between and she didn't let them slip out often. She turned away from him and quickly sobered back to her former seriousness. "But like I said," she cleared her throat. "They seem to have it pretty well guarded, what with those spotlights and everything. We'd be spotted before we get anywhere near the place… This won't work… hmm…" she mused thoughtfully as she closed her eyes tightly.

"Any ideas?" Link asked anxiously after Tetra remained silent for over a moment.

She didn't answer him immediately, but rather after another second or two of thought. She looked up slowly at first and then all at once, she shot Link a sly, mischievous wink. It was clear that she had an idea, but judging from the look on her face, Link wasn't entirely sure if he wanted to hear it or not.

"What is it?" Link asked, getting a little nervous.

"Follow me," Tetra said, not answering his question as she headed for the crow's nest ladder and climbed down it, motioning for him to do the same. Link hesitated, but, curious to see what her plan was, did the same.

Tetra led the way to a platform towards the back of the ship, gathering several of the pirates along the way. She came to a halt beside a group of wooden barrels, still not saying a single word of explanation. After looking around casually, she turned and peeked over the side of one of the barrels before turning to Link once more.

"Hey Link," she began, giving him a strange smile. "Could you do me a favor and look into this barrel real quick? I think there's something in there that could help you get to the fortress…"

"Like what?" Link asked, somewhat suspicious of Tetra's manner.

"You'll see…" Tetra said ambiguously. "Now check it out."

Link did so, though he was still a bit wary. The barrel was a bit tall, so he had to stand on his tip-toes to get a good look inside. However, he failed to notice the fact that Tetra was tucking something small away into his spoils bag right before she pushed him so hard that he fell full head-first into the empty barrel.

Surprised that he was suddenly trapped in the barrel, Link thrashed around trying to get into a position until he could work his way into a standing position. As he did so, he felt something pick the barrel up, but he wasn't sure what was really happening outside of it because of the darkness. But when he was finally able to poke his head out from the barrel, he couldn't have been more confused at what he saw.

Tetra and a few of the other pirates stood by, but for some reason, Link was looking down on them from the barrel, which was too tight for him to actually pull himself out of. The barrel seemed to be sitting on something elevated, and when Link looked down to see what it was, his eyes widened with surprise when he saw he was on a catapult!

Immediately, the boy started struggling to get out of the barrel, already knowing what Tetra's insane plan was. They were going to launch him into the fortress! Which meant that there was a huge chance that this plan was sure to fail. However, the pirate captain simply sneered at his efforts to escape.

"Quit all that struggling!" she snapped, shooting him a knowing grin. "This is always the most effective way for getting into a dangerous place like this. Trust me."

"What if you miss?!" Link asked, glaring at her nervously as he continued to wriggle around in the barrel.

"Please," Tetra scoffed, giving him a confident grin. "We won't miss. Relax! Us pirates do this all the time! It'll be a piece of cake."

Not wanting to put up with any further arguments from Link, Tetra turned to Gonzo, who stood near the catapult's lever. "Is everybody ready!?" she called out to her surrounding pirates. They confirmed that the preparations were completed, drowning out Link's protests. He knew that there'd be no persuading the headstrong Tetra to call off this ridiculous plan now that her mind was set on it. As much as he didn't want to, this would be the method that he'd be getting into the fortress, whether he actually made it or not.

"Don't worry!" Tetra said as the pirates made the final preparations. "We're pros at this! In fact, I bet we can even get you right into the window of the room where you sister is. I promise!"

Before Link could even think of any last minute arguments, the countdown to the launch had already begun.

"3!" Tetra called out as Link gave her one last wide eyed look of fear. The pirate simply smirked at him and continued. "2!" Laughter seemed to be breaking through Tetra's tone as Link summoned up all his courage to try and appear unafraid in front of her so she couldn't tease him about it later. But as Tetra took in a large, overly dramatic breath for the final number, he couldn't help but close his eyes and grit his teeth, already anticipating his rough landing. "1!"

In one swift motion, Gonzo had pulled the lever to the catapult and Link was sent flying through the dark night sky towards the Forsaken Fortress at a dizzying speed. And though he tried to act fearless in front of Tetra, nothing could stop him from closing his eyes and letting out a terrified cry as he soared though the air blindly.

* * *

**Well that took awhile thanks to life and junk... anyway, the next chapter ought to be fun! the forsaken fortress ooooooo... :D until next time!**


	7. The Forsaken Fortress

_Chapter 6: The Forsaken Fortress_

"_Over the course of my life I've been to lots of places. Shadowed places where things have gone wrong. Sinister places where things still are…"  
_-Kendare Blake, _Anna Dressed in Blood_

As luck would have it, the first thing Link made contact with after his brief trip through the air was one of the hard stone walls inside of the fortress. His front side hit the cold wall with such a great force that the impact made his bones rattle in pain, knocking him out as he plummeted down from the wall and into the fortress. It was because of this that he wasn't even remotely aware of the fact that his sword had come free from its sheath upon his impact with the wall and had flown to another part of the fortress entirely.

It was quite a long fall down, but fortunately for Link, he happened to land in a large pool of water within the center of the fortress. The bitter cold water immediately drew him back into consciousness as he sank several feet below the surface. Swimming to the surface, Link hurriedly treaded over to the nearest sliver of solid ground and pulled himself up on it. Taking in a deep breath and gathering his bearings once more, Link looked around the high walls of the Forsaken Fortress that surrounded him on all sides. Indeed he had made it, but he was nowhere even remotely close to where Aryll was being held.

"I knew she'd miss…" he muttered to himself with contempt for Tetra.

"Hey!" A familiar voice called angrily out from nowhere. "I heard that!"

It took Link no more than a second to realize who was speaking to him, though he had no idea how she was doing it. "Tetra?" he asked to the open air around him, curious as to where she could be if she was even here.

The unseen pirate girl groaned in exasperation. "Check your pocket," she instructed, and he did so, finding a strange, glowing blue stone with thin strings tied around it.

"What is this?" he asked, examining the object curiously.

Tetra gave a small giggle. "I call it the Pirate's Charm," she said proudly. "I slipped it into your pocket before we fired you over there. And believe me, it's no ordinary stone either. I can see what you're doing through it and obviously you can hear me through it too."

"Well why can't I see you if you can see me?" Link asked, not too sure how he felt about the concept of Tetra being able to see his every move.

"Don't question it, OK?" Tetra said in annoyance. "But listen carefully! I need this back after you save your sister, so don't go loosing it! Understand?"

"Yes," Link said, nodding.

"Good!" Tetra said. "So… Looks like your sword landed quite a ways away, huh?"

"What?!" Link exclaimed, instinctively reaching for the sword that should have been strapped to his back, but grasping nothing but thin air.

"Relax!" Tetra said. "If it makes you feel any better, I'll take the blame for that one, OK? I guess my aim was a bit off… I'm sorry!" She paused for a brief moment, and then continued with a snicker. "The look on your face… priceless!"

Link rolled his eyes at Tetra's antics once more, but he knew that he had no time to waste. "So what now?" he asked.

"Well," she began thoughtfully. "Looks like you're gonna have to be sneaky until you find your sword. You know… rely on stealth for a bit? The bottom line is, just don't get yourself caught, because if you do, we certainly won't be coming in to save you."

"Thanks for the support," Link said sarcastically, much to Tetra's annoyance.

"Just get going!" She said huffily.

Sliding the stone back into his pocket, Link cautiously started up the first small set of stairs. The steps leveled out onto a wide central area, a completely empty space save for one alarming feature: the large, slow moving beams of the spotlights bearing down on most of the platform, ready to catch his first move in a heartbeat if he wasn't careful. There was little space that the lights did not touch, certainly not enough for him to sneak across to the other side of the platform with. The chances of getting across without getting caught seemed slim, if there were any at all.

"Use the barrel," Tetra commanded suddenly from the stone.

"What?" Link asked, unsure of what she meant.

The pirate girl sighed in exasperation. "You can't be this clueless…" she muttered under her breath. "Look to your right."

Link did so and found a few large wooden barrels sitting nearby. "So what?" he asked, taking the stone out of his pocket.

"Lift one of them and get inside of it," she said, as though she was an impatient teacher.

"Why?"

"Because!" she snapped, incredibly irritated by this point. "I said so, that's why! Do you really think those monsters will be able to see you underneath that barrel? No. So get inside of it and for Din's sake, don't get yourself caught!"

"Oh…" Link muttered, putting the stone away quietly as his cheeks began to redden in embarrassment over his stint of slight ignorance. Sure enough, Tetra's plan proved to be a smart one. By hiding under one of the barrels, he was able to sneak across the platform, completely undetected by the spotlights.

After clearing this first immediate obstacle, Link discarded the barrel and headed up the next stone ramp. At its end, were two different paths: one which veered to an open hallway and the other, which was a ladder leading to a raised platform, where one of the spotlight control panels sat.

"Hey Link!" Tetra called out from the stone with less anger than she had earlier. "Listen up! There's a monster running that searchlight up there! If you could take him out, that would make things a whole lot easier!"

"How am I supposed to do that without a sword?" Link asked, almost reaching for the blade, but remembering that it wasn't there.

"Oh that's right!" Tetra exclaimed. "You're unarmed. All you have is that shield of yours… hm… Ah! I got it! Link, go on up there and do what I tell you. Hurry! That monster will never see what hit him!"

Link hesitantly scaled the ladder, and luckily for him, the monster's back was turned. He couldn't help but take in a deep breath of nervousness. He had never faced a monster without a sword before; in fact the first monsters he had ever faced before in his life were the ones he had encountered this morning back on Outset. But, for some insane reason, he decided to trust whatever Tetra's plan could be. He could only hope that it wouldn't send him to an early grave.

"Ok," Tetra whispered, swashbuckling excitement almost dripping from her tone. "Take your shield out and don't let go of it for a second. Now move in close to the monster and startle it from behind."

Link nodded and followed her instructions, his heart already beating fast as he tip-toed towards the incompetent bokoblin guarding the spotlight. As he was right behind it, the bokoblin suddenly heard his approaching footsteps and it spun around, swinging its wooden staff of a weapon at him blindly. Keeping his wits about him barely, Link held the shield tightly and the stick bounced against its surface hard, knocking the boy off his feet and sending the staff flying from the creature's hands.

"Now!" Tetra shouted hastily. "Get its weapon! Hurry!"

Shaking his head clear from his racing thoughts, Link stumbled to his feet and ran over to where the staff had landed a few feet away. What he didn't see though, was that the bokoblin intended to get the blunt instrument back before him and had also adopted had the same idea. They both reached the stick at the same time, and both of them got a firm hold on it. For a moment, they grappled for it, with Tetra cheering Link on from the pirate's stone. Their grips were both strong, so much that neither of them would let go easy. Suddenly, with a unintelligible shriek, the bokoblin managed to land a hard punch to the boy's cheek. Link cried out at the sharp pain in his face, but even so, he refused to let go of perhaps the only thing that could save his life at the moment. In fact, his determination and rage at this beast seemed to grow even more and he yanked the staff with enough might that it slipped out of the monster's hands entirely. And for a moment, Link just stood there in realization that he had just triumphed over the now awestruck monster.

"Get him!" Tetra shouted, breaking through his dazed thoughts. "Now's your chance! What are you waiting for?!"

Not hesitating to listen to Tetra's now foolproof plan, Link took a broad swing at the bokoblin, sending it reeling. With another hit, the monster tumbled to the ground in defeat, before vanishing away in a puff of smoke as the others had.

"Nice job, Link!" Tetra commended him, not hiding her pride this time. "Looks like the spotlight's taken out too. Now keep going down the path. I think if you just keep heading up, then you'll get to the tower where your sister is in no time."

Link simply nodded, not hearing much of what she said due to his still heavy breathing and slight trembling. He had been so close to getting seriously hurt or worse, and this wasn't first time today either. He had no idea how he had been able to survive through several of the experiences he had been through on this single day. Maybe it was luck or something else, but whatever it was, he was certainly glad to have it on his side.

Continuing to follow Tetra's guidance, Link headed down to the open hallway, heading through a door that would hopefully take him up through the fortress. Throughout the next several rooms, several much larger monsters, called moblins, were on patrol, carrying torches and carefully scanning for any signs of intruders. This time, Tetra did not need to repeat her previous advice to Link when he saw a group of barrels. Cautiously, he used one to sneak past the lumbering creatures, using a small hole in the side of the barrel to keep an eye on the moblin's routes. This method was working pretty well, and stealth and fortune both seemed to be on Link's side, until…

There was little chance he could have seen the tiny creature with the barrel over his head, and even if he could have, there would have been little that he could have done to stop the bothersome rodent. But sure enough, as Link was almost to the door of one of the rooms, a rat, and a rather oversized one at that, came scurrying right at him, sensing his movements from underneath the barrel. Thanks to its large size, the rat managed to knock Link out of the barrel when it rammed into him, in full view of a moblin just a few feet in front of him. The menacing creature spun around and let out a violent shout. Link had no time to react or even pull himself to his feet before the moblin smashed its large fist into his stomach, sending him flying into the nearby wall. The last thing he heard before falling into complete unconsciousness after the hard and painful impact, was Tetra's concerned call as she desperately tried to rouse him, but failed.

* * *

With a lingering pain in both his head and stomach, Link awoke, though he was completely disoriented. Sitting up slowly, the first thing he noticed was the set of iron bars that he was sitting behind, but everything else, including how he got here was a total blank.

"It's about time you woke up!" Tetra's impatient voice came from the pirate's charm.

Rubbing his aching head, Link took the stone out and glanced around the apparent jail cell he was being kept in. "Tetra?" he asked in confusion. "What happened? Where am I?"

Tetra scoffed in slight annoyance. "You did the exact thing I told you _not_ to do. You got caught. And now they're holding you in this wimpy little cell, all the way at the _bottom _of the fortress. And what's worse is that while you were out, I overheard some of the guards mumbling about taking you to their boss for a proper punishment for intruding. So now, not only do they all know you're here, but if you don't hurry up and get out of there, then who knows what could happen? Understand?"

"Yeah," Link nodded, realizing the urgency of this problem. Tetra was right; he needed to escape and fast, otherwise, he'd never be able to rescue Aryll. He had already made the huge mistake of getting captured and wasting too much time as it was. Now more than ever he was determined to get to his missing sister. "So how do I get out?"

"I don't know…" Tetra said easily, letting go of the tension that had been her tone moments before. "Try looking for a hole or something. I mean, places like this are always full of holes, right?"

Link nodded and rose to his feet, getting a good look around at the simple prison. Luckily for him, there were no monsters standing guard outside the bars, which would make his escape much easier. But aside from a table, a chair and a large bookcase, and no obvious holes in the walls, there wasn't much there. And yet, he somehow managed to catch sight of what appeared to be part of a crack in the wall, peeking out from behind the bookshelf. Not sure of what he would find, but knowing time was of the essence, Link hurried over to the bookshelf and began to push it to the side with all his strength. It took some effort, but he eventually got it out of the way and revealed a small opening in the wall, just large enough for him to squeeze into. And, conveniently enough, the opening led to a tunnel which took him to the second floor of the fortress.

"Ok," Tetra said, as soon as Link had exited the tunnel and was out in another open hallway. "Now that that's over, try to be more careful. I doubt they'll show as much mercy if they catch you again."

"I'll do my best," Link sighed as he continued through the seemingly endless floors of the complex fortress. Going through many of the same rooms that he had been in before getting caught, the boy was much more attentive this time around, to every little thing about his surroundings. He stayed as far away as he could from any moblins as he worked his way up and it did him well. After what seemed like hours of careful sneaking, Link found himself on the upper outdoor levels of the fortress, where he was able to keep track of his progress by watching the seagulls that circled near the window where Aryll was. The higher he climbed towards the top of the fortress, the colder and more sinister the air seemed to get. But at the same time, with every step closer to her, he found his goal that had before seemed so far away now seemed to be within his reach. He was so close to Aryll, only a few doors away even. And when he found her, this dreadful night would be nothing more than a memory. She would be safe. They could go home.

As Link approached the very pinnacle of the outer levels of the fortress, a familiar glint caught his eye. Looking ahead, he caught sight of something quite fortunate: his sword, lying before a large door that he was almost certain lead to the room where Aryll would be. The only problem was the bokoblin wielding a blade that stood a few feet away from it, with its back turned as if it didn't notice the weapon at all. Link took advantage of this by creeping towards the sword as quickly and quietly as he could and the moment he laid his hands on it, he swung it at the inattentive monster, catching it completely off guard. The creature lost its balance and tumbled over the wall of the walkway, sending it plummeting to its doom. Link thought he heard a pleased snicker from Tetra at his sneakiness, but he wasn't sure.

Finally returning the missing sword to its sheath, he turned and pushed open the huge wooden doors ahead of him. They led to a large, tall round room, with an open ceiling, a room that couldn't be just another hallway. Slipping in as quietly as he could, Link glanced around the room until he found of what he had been looking for all night. Or rather, whom he had been looking for.

She was standing inside of the bars of a large, makeshift wooden prison cell on the far side of the room. There were two other young girls in the cell as well; one was dressed as if she was wealthy and the other dressed in rags, but both were equally forlorn. But Aryll, despite the fact she was imprisoned in such a treacherous and unfamiliar place, stood near the bars of the cell with a calm smile on her face as she reached her hand out to pet a seagull that had flown in and approached her. And that smile only grew tenfold when she lifted her head and spotted Link standing on the far side of the room.

"Big brother!" she called out with immense joy, joy which he couldn't help but return. He had finally found her. It was finally over. He had never been so relieved and excited before in his life.

"Aryll!" he called to her as he began to rush over to her. The other girls turned to watch at the reunion with surprise and interest.

"Hey!" Tetra reprimanded him. "Did you forget? You're supposed to be stealthy!"

Link completely ignored her. The only thing he could think of at the moment was that fact that he had actually done it. He had saved Aryll. Or so he thought…

When he had made it about halfway across the room, a sudden, distant sound reached his ears. The sound of flapping wings, growing every closer with each second.

"You idiot!" Tetra screamed at him, already knowing what was going on, since she could see it from her ship outside. "Get out of there! NOW!"

Link scarcely heard her warnings as he finally looked up. The monster bird was already descending through the open ceiling and in less than a second it had crashed to the floor a few mere feet away from him, screeching out wildly.

"Link!" Aryll screamed in terror, but her brother was frozen in place as he stared up at the towering beast in horror. He knew it was going to kill him. The bird had violence in its glowing yellow eyes and there was no possible way for him to escape it. It had him cornered. There was no way out. He had come so far, only to fail at the most important moment.

The terrified cries of Aryll and Link and the angry shouts of Tetra were all mixed the moment the monster bird scooped the boy up in its large beak, holding him tightly between them so he couldn't even try to reach for his sword. Once it had a strong, inescapable hold on his midsection, the bird flapped its huge wings and began to fly upwards, creating a long distance between Link and Aryll once more. The last glimpse Link caught of his sister before the bird took him out of the room entirely, was of her reaching an arm up to him with a heartbreaking expression. He struggled desperately to break free from the bird's grip just to go down there and comfort her, but there was no escape from its firm hold.

The bird continued up into the night and swiftly circled the top of the fortress with Link in tow. For some reason, it paused its flight in front of the broken back end of the ship that topped the fortress. And it was there that Link got his first glimpse of the one in charge of the wicked place. He couldn't make out much of the figure, as the man seemed to be draped in ominous and mysterious shadows. But whoever he was, the man's very presence seemed to command power and treachery.

The bird hovered in the air before this man for a silent moment of tension, as though it was asking its master what to do with the boy who had been so bold as to invade into the fortress. The man said nothing, but seemed to tilt his head towards the east, towards the endless vast seas in that direction. Link wondered what the exchange meant but he quickly found out when the bird quickly jerked its head to the left and then, as it slug its head roughly to the right, it finally let go of the boy, sending him hurtling blindly though the air. Miles away from the fortress and miles away from Aryll. Into the dark, blue depths of the ocean to meet an unknown fate alone.

* * *

Somewhere on the Great Sea dawn was on the horizon and the nighttime clouds were quickly turning grey. Somewhere on the Great Sea, a pirate ship sailed away from a treacherous fortress in resignation. Somewhere on the Great Sea, an old woman sat up, waiting for the return of both her grandchildren. Somewhere on the Great Sea, a young girl was crying tears for lost brother. Somewhere on the Great Sea, a boy floated unconsciously in cold waters far from home. Somewhere on the Great Sea, a small red boat drifted by loftily. Somewhere on the Great Sea, a journey was about to start.

* * *

**Haha missed me? I know its been a while, but writer's block is hard! Anyway, like how I got all poetic (not really) there at the end? Figured I just wanted to add some pretty language towards the end. ;) Anyway, just wanted to give a thankful shout out to my new beta reader PinaColadaFox! So, Until next time! :D**


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